Beyond SEO: Finding a Marketing Agency that Does More

In these days of widespread digital marketing revolution, companies without an online presence are unlikely to fare as well as those who make it their business to have a strong, well-developed website and brand. To do so, however, you need to go beyond SEO and have a strategy that does more for you, and that means choosing a Raleigh marketing agency with a broader focus. Here’s how to find the right company for your needs.

Determine Your Goals

Most agencies specialize in certain aspects of marketing, such as SEO, branding, website development or event marketing. It’s not often you will have a need for simply “marketing,” so before you look for an agency it’s important to determine just what your current marketing goals are. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t form a relationship with a provider who can fulfill all your marketing needs, just that you should determine your most critical goal and start from there. If you’re looking to boost your company branding, for example, you don’t want to find yourself in bed with a partner who handles event marketing and doesn’t specialize in branding. Far better to connect with a Raleigh branding agency that has the expertise you need right now.

Research Carefully

In this digital age, research is accessible to everyone and it can be your best friend. Start by searching for digital marketing agencies (DMAs) in your neck of the woods, using terms such as “marketing agency Raleigh” if you want to have face-to-face interactions. For people who are comfortable doing business virtually, location is less of an issue. Search also for DMAs that specialize in your needs, such as those who offer website design or social media marketing. If getting traffic to your website is important for generating new leads, an agency that focuses on SEO might be just the ticket.

Review the home pages of the agencies you find, and shortlist those that look promising. You can use a web-clipping program like Evernote for this, or just good ol’ pen and paper. Your next step is to read the About pages of each provider you listed, to determine whether they have knowledgeable people on their team and a solid record of service. For example, The Marketing Machine is a marketing agency in Raleigh that has delivered award-winning services in North Carolina for 20 years, which provides the confidence you need that they know their stuff.

Ask Your Network

Check out the client portfolio and testimonials of any companies you’re interested in, to see if they have former clients in your network. If you find the agency has clients where you have connections, perhaps you can ask for a reference on their performance?

Getting a referral is one of the best ways to find service providers, because you not only get a name but also some information on how well they have performed in a real-life situation. Do you know any companies (in your industry or not) who have recently had a new website developed or a website revamp by a Raleigh branding agency?

Take a look at their site and determine whether it’s professionally developed, contains a good amount of quality content and appears to be optimized for SEO. If you like the look of it, why not ask them for a referral or simply scroll to the bottom of the site, where you often find the name of the developer listed.

Check the Chamber and Other Associations

Local Chambers of Commerce can be gold mines of information, partly because every inspired business owner is usually a member. If you’re in the market for using a virtual marketing agency in Raleigh, however, you can expand your search to other places, such as the HubSpot Partner Directory, Agency Spotter and UpCity. Agencies listed on these directories usually have to comply with certain criteria, which means you can trust the results to avoid scams and fly-by-nights.

Finding the right Raleigh branding agency for your business can be challenging, but there are companies that have the qualifications you need and the record you want.

For more information on the marketing services we deliver, please visit our website or call us at 919.460.7978.